Dr. Jack W. Simonson, physics professor at Farmingdale State College, has secured a $55K grant from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund to underwrite research that seeks to mitigate the damaging effects of burning coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels.
According to Dr. Simonson, scientists are looking for ways to replace these fuels with carbon-neutral and renewable alternatives. However, the International Energy Agency is projecting that over the next 25 years, global demand for coal and natural gas will increase by 15% and 50%, respectively. One answer to the resulting increase in carbon dioxide emissions, says Dr. Simonson, is to develop new materials used to coat power plant turbines, to increase efficiency.
Dr. Simonson will be using Farmingdale undergraduates to assist in the research.
Dr. Simonson earned his PhD at the University of Virginia. He is a guest scientist at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and holds memberships in the American Chemical Society and the American Physical Society.
